Strength
by wolfgirlalways
Summary: No matter what Tony has his teams back. Just a view of Tony's protective side. Rated T for mentions of violence.
1. Strength

"Gibbs." Leon Vance's voice came from above.

Gibbs nodded and stood following the director to his office.

Once the door was safely shut Leon looked Gibbs over before speaking.

"We recovered video." He said slowly. "I will be handling processing it personally" (Translation- I won't let someone else watch, I won't let your agents horrors spread rumors through the office.)

Gibbs nodded gratefully.

"Do you want to be in the room with me?" He asked.

Gibbs nodded. To help his team he must understand. No matter how hard it got.

Gibbs and Leon stood in the room, having shooed everyone else out.

"Ready?" Leon asked. Gibbs nodded.

Tony and McGee came on. McGee was unconscious but Tony wasn't. He was fighting to free his wrists talking to McGee, asking if he was alright. The moment the door opened however,Tony stilled his eyes hard and glittering. His panic was tucked behind his usual facade.

"You know it's not polite to keep guests waiting." Tony said reclining lazily in the chair as much as the bonds would allow.

He watched Tony crack jokes and answer all the questions with twisted answers that told his captures nothing at all. Eventually they got fed up. Both men turned their attention to McGee. In that moment, when both men turned to his partner Gibbs watched the expression that flitted all to quickly across his senior field agents face.

Rage, first and foremost. Resolve. Defiance. And just a hint of fear, not for himself but for McGee.

Tony snapped something that brought both mens attention to him. Gibbs watched as it went on like this for some time. Every time they tried to turn to McGee Tony would say something to bring their attention back to him. Something to piss them off, or dangle just a hint of information in front of their noses. And he ran them in circles so skillfully they didn't catch on to what he was doing.

Gibbs would not allow himself to turn away from his agent's pain.

Gibbs watched as Tony held in the screams when they hurt him. He felt his chest swell with pride at the strength and courage of his senior agent.

When Tony mercifully passed out and they moved to McGee.

McGee, it turned out was not much help to them. Thanks to the head wound and a large dose of drugs he faded in and out as they ruthlessly questioned him.

Finally both men left, fed up. Gibbs watched later as Tony slowly came around wincing at small movements. Here, alone he let the mask fall and the pain show. But he didn't stop fighting. He tugged at the bonds, working hard to free them. He spoke in a low calm voice to McGee the whole time, keeping up a narrative.

Hours later when the door opened Tony changed again, letting the pain slide from his features. He reclined looking bored. What followed was more of the same. Tony skillfully kept most of the focus on him and away from the semi-conscious form of his partner.

Tony let the pain show, just once, when they broke his wrist. The yell brought McGee to focus on the room. Again Gibbs felt the rush of pride when his agent, hurt, drugged and confused, with no idea where he was, began fighting to help his teammate. With not thought of himself McGee fought to get free to help. A few more men rushed in to help. When McGee had begun struggling so had Tony. The room was a chaos of shouts, flailing limbs and bodies. It was in this mess that Gibbs watched the door burst inward. As S.W.A.T. was the first through the door, followed closely by Ziva and Gibbs himself. More cops poured in subduing the men. They rushed the kidnappers outside leaving the NCIS team and a few cops inside. Gibbs knew Tony was the worst off and headed for him nodding for Ziva to help McGee. He pulled out his knife and carefully freed Tony's hands.

Kneeling next to his agent he gently helped Tony bring the swollen hand forward to rest it against Tony's chest. Tony hunched over breathing in shallow gasps. Gibbs was worried for the man. "Tony." He said quietly.

When the man didn't respond Gibbs said in a more forceful voice. "Tony look at me."

The man complied but his eyes were glassy with the pain from the mens questioning.

His eyes didn't completely focus on him.

"McGee?" He panted out.

"He's fine." Ziva called to him.

"McGee." Tony said again as he began to struggle weakly to get to his partner.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs snapped.

Finally Gibbs saw his agent's eyes focus on him.

"Boss?" Tony's voice asked.

"I'm here." Gibbs answered. "I need you to focus. Tell me what hurts." He said his voice gruff with anger.

Tony's gaze however kinda faded out a bit.

"McGee?" He asked sounding confused.

"He's ok. Ziva is with him." Gibbs reassured him.

"Good." Tony said slumping back in the chair. He didn't loose consciousness, he just lost touch with everything around him. Gibbs stayed where he was supporting part of Tony's weight until the paramedics arrived and he was pushed forcibly away. Tony, when he lost contact with Gibbs, began once more to struggle wildly. Gibbs rushed in his eyes daring someone to stop him. He laid a steady hand on Tony's unwounded shoulder. Tony stilled instantly.

"I'm riding with him." He declared his voice hard, as his eyes glittered dangerously daring someone to challenge his statement.

Tony had woken on the way to the hospital. To calm Gibbs had begun speaking to the confused man.

"McGee looks like he'll come out of this better than you." Gibbs muttered to his agent in response to the intense question. "It baffles me that the two of you could get captured and held by the same men. He comes out with a head wound and a couple bruises and cuts. You end up black and blue almost head to toe, at least two broken bones, and several deep cuts." Gibbs said.

"Must be... winning ..personality..." Tony said flashing a cocky smile.

Gibbs had smiled then, glad to have this man watching his six, and glad to have the honor of returning the favor.

A/N I found this in my files tonight and wanted to share. This has been written for about a year now. I have a thing for the strong DiNozzo hidden under his personality. I might leave this or write some of the team after math healing depending on my later mood but for now I'm going to leave it. Let me know if this was any good and you want some of the healing bits...Wolfgirl


	2. Got Your Six Part 1

A/N I'm thinking of doing this as a series of one-shots instead of one full story... hopefully it'll work out like that. Anywhoz, enjoy the story and thanx for reading -wolfgirl

Gibbs heard the door to his basement open and close. When no one descended, he looked up to see his senior field agent leaning against the door. Tony looked horrible, too pale with dark circles under his eyes. A dark black bruise lined his jaw on one side. His hair was more disheveled than usual, and he wore a pair of sweats and a dark tee shirt.

"You're supposed to be in the hospital." Gibbs said.

"I left." Tony said, looking down at the floor. Gibbs sighed and put the tool down. He brushed past DiNozzo in the door way and listened as the younger man followed him. Both men made their way to the living room. Gibbs watched as DiNozzo sank into the couch, closing his eyes.

They sat in silence for a while.

"I can feel you watching me." Tony said, not opening his eyes. When Gibbs didn't respond he opened his eyes and looked at his boss.

"How'd you get here?" Gibbs asked.

"Took a cab." The tired young man answered.

"I wasn't sure you'd let me leave if I asked for a ride." DiNozzo said in a weary voice. He waited for his boss to speak. When Gibbs remained silent he spoke in a nearly inaudible voice. "I couldn't sleep there."

The pain and fear of the time he'd spent tied up, helpless, shown through the younger man's eyes. Gibbs was proud this young man trusted him enough to let the emotion show in his presence.

"Get some rest DiNozzo. I've got your six." Gibbs said in a low voice. True to his word, Gibbs sat in silence as the younger man eventually relaxed into sleep. After a few minutes of soft snoring Gibbs stood and lifted the young man's legs onto the couch and put a pillow under his head. He hunted down a blanket and covered the young man, before settling into the chair and sitting in to wait. DiNozzo had never had someone to watch his back and keep him safe as a child. There was no way in hell that Gibbs would break his promise to have his agents six. After the hell he went through this last week he deserved to feel safe. And if that meant that Gibbs would stay here all night to be there when he opened his eyes then so be it.


	3. Got your six pt 2

A/N sorry bout the delay on this. but here it is.

Ziva walked quietly into the living room, taking in everything. Tony sat looking over some files while Gibbs cooked steaks over the fireplace. She smiled when Gibbs offered her a plate with a steak on it without even looking. She pulled out a small knife and grabbed a fork. As she settled she eyed Tony out of the corner of her eyes.

"I'm fine." He said as he accepted his own steak.

"The doctors said you would be in the hospital for a week. Yesterday." Ziva said, her voice emotionless. "It was not easy to enter the empty room, after all the worry we have felt for you and McGee."

Tony looked down at the plate. Neither of them noticed Gibbs slipping down into his basement as they talked, knowing they needed the privacy to talk.

"I couldn't stay." Tony said quietly. "Too many strangers."

"Tony." Ziva said in a tone of voice that brought Tony's eyes to meet hers. "I do not want to come to an empty hospital room again. Next time call me. I will be there to stay with you through the darkness or assist you in your escape." She paused as he accepted her words. "I am your partner Tony; I will protect you just as McGee has told me you protected him against those men."

She finished cutting up her steak flipped her knife over and handed it to him to cut his before lifting her leg and pulling out the large knife she kept strapped to her leg as proof of her ability to protect him. They sat in silence as Ziva ate and Tony cut his meat. When he moved to hand her back the knife she motioned him to keep it.

"Gibbs mentioned that yours had been taken." Ziva said quietly. Tony surveyed the knife and found a small inscription on the blade.

"What does it say?"

"It means trust. Both the trust I have in you and the trust you can place in me." She noticed Tony blinking rapidly after he finished his meal.

"Sleep Tony. As Gibbs would day, I will have your six."

A/N still there? I hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading :)

-wolfgirl


	4. Partners

a/n this turned into mostly a Tim chapter somehow... not quite sure how that happened. but without further ado...here it is

Tim couldn't face Tony, couldn't look at the face that was so bruised and the wrist in the plaster cast and the pain in his eyes when he moved wrong. He'd tried once, in the hospital. Tony hadn't even been awake or known he was there. He's stayed for two minutes before he's made some excuse for some tests and had the nurse wheel his chair back to the comfort and safety of his own room. He didn't remember much of the kidnapping through the haze of pain and drugs but he remembered a few things. He remembered Tony mocking the men, drawing their attention back from McGee. He knew the reason for him being relatively healthy was because Tony had distracted the men from him. Kept the pain and questions on himself. He was the reason for the pain his partner was in, because he was too weak to take it himself. Everyone worried about him as he withdrew, but he couldn't face them and the shame of how he'd let his partner down. Tony had taken all the pain, just as he had in Somalia.

"McGee." He heard Abby's voice call to him as he lay in bed, thinking.

He felt the bed dip as she lay next to him and curled to his side for comfort.

He felt her hot tears burn into his chest.

"I shouldn't have done something." Abby said in the darkness.

"What's that?" McGee asked.

"I hacked into the feed and watched some of it." McGee knew what 'it' was the footage of the hell he and Tony had seen in that small room. He rolled over and took her in his arms.

"We'll be ok." Tim told her.

"When I heard those men had you I was lost." Abby said in a low whisper. "Gibbs was so pissed I thought he might kill someone and Ziva….. I knew who she was before but she was scary. She was all deadly assassin and no emotion."

He raised a shaky hand to her hair and stroked it breathing in deep.

"Tony keeps asking about you. I don't know what to tell him." Abby said.

"I don't know Abbs. I'm trying." He knows he sounds weak and pathetic, even to his own ears, but he doesn't know what else to say. He doesn't ask what he wants to. About how Tony is. He doesn't know if he deserves the answer.

They laid like that, for the rest of the night, each drawing comfort from the other.

(-)

A week later McGee was woken by loud banging on his door. He had to pause for a moment to overcome the vertigo that was the last lingering side effect of whatever drug they had pumped him full of. He was shocked when he saw a pale and wavering Tony, with his wrist held protectively in the sling.

"To damn many stairs." Tony growled as he stalked into the apartment, pushing passed a surprised McGee.

"How'd you get here?"

"Ziva drove me. I figured I was driving her and Gibbs to distraction." Tony said grinning, as he sank into the chair with a sigh.

"Why are you here Tony?" the question was out of McGee's mouth before he had thought it through and he immediately regretted how harsh it sounded.

Tony's grin faded. "Because…" Tony paused.

"Because the last I can remember seeing of my partner was him being loaded into an ambulance and taken away. I guess I needed to be sure you were ok." Tony said, in a quiet voice as he stared fixedly at the floor.

"I'm fine." McGee said, wishing Tony would just leave, so McGee didn't have to face the pain he'd inflicted on his friend.

Green eyes, hard and angry, suddenly met his own. "Then you damn well could have let me know yourself." McGee took a step back as the anger in Tony's eyes burned into him.

"I…." McGee started, unsure, as he faced another side of Tony. Suddenly his own anger flared. His own hurt and confusion and pain.

"Right. But once more I was too weak." McGee shouted.

"Weak?" Tony asked, standing.

"You obviously think so. I remember what you did."

"I didn't do anything because you were weak, McGee." Tony shouted back. "I did that because I couldn't live with myself if I had let my friend get hurt." The second half of the sentence was said in a near whisper. Tony met McGee's eyes again "I've never thought you are weak. Nobody could be weak and have my back like you do. You were drugged and hurting. There was no way in hell those men were going to inflict more pain on you."

Tony waited a minute before continuing. "Those men are the ones that hurt me McGee. Not you. I did not stand up for you because I thought you were weak. I stood up for you because you are my partner and my friend and I knew that if our roles were reversed you would do the same for me."

They stood in a stair down for an eternity, a battle of wills happening. McGee finally sagged and he breathed out a ragged breath, releasing all the anger, sorrow, fear, confusion and guilt of the last few weeks. The battle over both men sank into the cushions and stared at anything but each other.

Both men were comfortable in the silence and understanding between them as they rested in that moment of peace.

"What a pair we make." Tony said after a while, never one for too much quiet. He was rewarded by McGee's answering snort.

"Shouldn't you be at the hospital?" McGee asked, eyeing his partner's pale face.

"I snuck out days ago. Fled to Gibbs' house." McGee smiled as he thought for a moment.

"Shouldn't you be at Gibbs' house then?" McGee asked.

"Nah. I needed to come beat some sense into you. Ziva helped me sneak out." McGee couldn't contain the laugh at that.

"Gibbs is gonna be pissed."

Tony's grin wavered for a moment before becoming fixed on his face once more.

"He'll understand." Tony assured McGee, closing his eyes.

"Doesn't mean he won't head slap you into next week." Tony's grin only grew in response, before his face smoothed out into peaceful lines as he fell into the rest that he needed to recover.

As McGee sat there in the dark he pondered how lucky he was to know he had a partner that would fight through hell to have his back. An honor he knew he would always repay.

a/n k i don't know that tim was completely in character with this but in my defense he was given some mystery drug and he had to watch his partner be interrogated by the bad people so...


End file.
